Meet Our Staff: Diane Kann, Web Design, Blogger

Even though Diane isn’t an official member of the CompWare business, she has still done a large amount to contribute towards the business.

Now, let’s get started! Here below is a short bio to get to know a little about her before we move to the questionnaire.

I’m a wife, mom to 9 kids and “too many to count” fur and feather kids. Our lifestyle has always revolved around family and business. My parents and grandparents were small business entrepreneurs, so I guess I was just born into it. Reading, writing, pets, and family comprise most of my life giving way to my personal websites on family, healthy foods, and of course, pets.

But the entrepreneur lifestyle also gave us the freedom and initiative to homeschool all of our human kids through high school. In turn, homeschooling allowed us more freedom to build the business on a freer schedule. We also had a family aquaponic farm that has involved everyone in the family at one time or another. One of my favorite things in life is spending time with family, whether we are working together or just out having fun.

As for what I do for Comp-Ware, does chief cook and bottle washer count? <smile> While I am primarily the website manager and writer, I also help with other jobs as the need arises.

Favorite hobby to do when the work is at a break time point?

Does enjoying a quiet cup of coffee count? <smile>

Reading, sudoku, bowling, spending time with family and of course my pets. And I am always looking for new things to learn (love that aspect of the internet!)

First job you worked at and what you took from that job learning wise?

Helped with family businesses when I was a teen (Dad had a garage/tow business, Mom had a food truck way before they were “in” plus we had a small farm) and learned a mix of skills from those. I learned the ins/outs of small business while growing up.

First job not with family was writing for our art exhibit at the local college. That helped fine tune my writing skills. A bonus was the many books I could enjoy during breaks!

Best story from when you owned your pet store?

Two come to mind:

We had kinkajou and they enjoyed a rather spacious iron cage as their home. Very friendly animals, but like all kinkajou, they loved to play. One night they discovered a way to unlock their cage and enjoy a much bigger playground involving not only our store but, also the hardware store next door The adjoining ceilings in the shopping plaza made their journey effortless. Needless to say, a keyed padlock was added the next day, after the three were safely at home.

Another involved one of my favorite animals, a Red Lory. Although she was a wild-caught bird, she had become quite tame and relished time with people, making her an ideal store mascot. Not so ideal was the whistle that she learned to simulate the glass breakage alarm on our security system. It took us a couple of emergency runs to the store to realize what was causing the alarm. She just didn’t want to be left alone at night. The solution? We took her home with us each night and all was well.

Who’s made the biggest impact for you?

My parents, definitely. Both were incredibly hard working people who taught me the importance of family, friends, hard work, and to also have fun. We were not the wealthiest family (by far!) but we had a very rich family life.

If money was no issue, what car including year would you own?

Cars are really not so important to me (gasp! Since my Dad was a mechanic!) but probably a new-ish Suburban or similar for those dog show trips I hope to get back into

Out of all the places you’ve visited, what’s been the one to bring you to aw?

Florida when we first visited. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the weather and bugs here but was incredibly surprised (and we first visited in August!). We moved here the next year and have no regrets. But then, Virginia during cherry blossom season and Niagara Falls in the summer is beautiful, too!

Apple fanatic or PC lover?

PC is all I have ever used. Might try Apple someday, but seems a bit pricey for the differences.

Are you a book or movie type of person?

I love reading but enjoy a good movie. It is tough watching a movie after reading the book, though. So much is usually missing.

Number one food joint you’ve been to that’s left you on cloud nine?

Most restaurants have a hard time competing with my Mom’s cooking, mine, and Bethany’s incredible cuisine. Our go-to place is excellent– Japanese fare customized for our vegetarian family! There is also this great little privately owned Italian restaurant in Melbourne where the chef/owner creates off the menu dishes occasionally. My favorite of his is a delicious pesto lasagne. It is just incredible! Desserts are all made in house and extremely delicious too.

Of the two S’s, are you a sweet or spicy kind of food lover?

I like more of a balance–not too sweet, definitely not too spicy. I love the herbs and flavorings to enhance the food.

If you could sit down for a cup of coffee (won’t mention the tea because we know Diane is a fellow coffee lover and we’re, well ok I’m very proud of that *fist bumps*) with one famous individual alive or dead, who would you choose?

Famous….hmmmm….honestly, I am less likely to choose a famous person, although some authors come to mind. I think I would prefer to choose a friend or even better, my parents or Grandma….we’ve all shared thousands of coffee times and I miss those chats more than any famous person could possibly fill.

Now, for the finale

Spirit animal and why

Dog–

Actually, I’m not sure I have one species of spirit animal, but more likely have different individual ones. At times, I might say my horse or even my special cow, sheep,or goat. I know, a spirit animal is supposed to be one species, but really, my bunny Phillip might have been, too. Phillip and I understood each other very well.

For just one species, it must be the dog. I have always had an incredibly close relationship with dogs, both my own and others. My kids say I am a dog magnet and I suppose that might be accurate. Dogs, even rescues that others cannot manage, trust me and bond easily with me. I guess we just understand each other and easily relate.

And people, that is all with the Q/A today so, a big thank you to Diane for taking the time with us and, excuse me as I get unto our next Meet our Staff featuring *drumroll* our Lead Installer, Alessandro!